Introduction
Since evolution, war has been part and parcel of human history. Regardless of whether the objectives of war were achieved or not at any war engagement, it is historic that no war has ever succeeded without great leadership. Alexander the Great is an all time historic military leader standing above all ever lived military leaders of the ancient world.
Alexander traces his birth to the capital town of Macedonia, Pella. He was born on the 20th day of July 356 B.C.E. He was born of an Epirote princess and King Phillip II. Alexander was recognized as a brilliant warrior having his father the King being a commander alongside Pyrrhus of Epirus his mother’s first cousin (Curtius, 2009 p.86). At his tender age Alexander was known to be strong and fearless and for this reason he was prepped to succeed the King upon the King’s death.
In 336 B.C.E Alexander became the King at the age of 20 after his father was assassinated. He never hesitated to pick up the leadership from where his father had left. At his first times of kingship Alexander had secured the Macedonian frontiers thus leading to the Greece rebellion smothering. Afterwards he led attacks on the Persian Empire as an accomplishment of his father’s dreams which were arrested by his father assassination. He risked his legacy as it has just begun in the year 334 B.C.E when he first led an invasion on the Persian Empire which took place at the Persians river (Shecter, 2006 p.88).
At around 332 B.C.E Alexander took the domination of Palestine, Syria and Egypt. At this time he took over the title of the Egyptian pharaoh and had several cities bearing his name, having the Greek administration capital in Egypt named Alexandria. This was a mission impossible because Alexander had no access to the various resources that gave the Persian Empire a war advantage against Alexander the great. However, Alexander ignored the massive numbers of the Persian Empire soldiers but had to influence his fighting battalion by applying his inborn leadership skills in hopefully advising and motivating his fighting personnel (Freeman, 1996 p.78).
In 331 B.C.E Alexander extended his leadership and conquers to the territories of Mesopotamia ancient kingdoms founding an Empire between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. At the northwest of Babylon Alexander led a decisive fight with the Persian at Gaugamela. After this decisive battle Alexander had defeated the Persian and thus moved to the Babylonian capital where he looted the treasuries of Babylonians including their silver and Gold. A time in the year 330 B.C.E troubles on plots by Alexander’s friends to assassinated him were brought forward against his own officers, among them was his long life friend.
After Persepolis rest in the year 330 B.C.E Alexander followed the King of the Persian Empire on a mission to hunt him down. Alexander’s war men caught up with Darius the Persian Empire King and one his war men killed Darius. Alexander took over the royal Kingship title of the Great King of the Persian Empire. Alexander’s key successful moves by the time were his marching to Damascus via the coastline of Mediterranean where he apprehended the Persian’s ruler family and his movement along the Phoenician cost where he managed to seized every city of Phoenix with the exception of Tyre. However, he continued the battle until Tyre gave in after a siege of seven month (Cartledge, 2004 p.120).
Having the Persian Empire under his control, Alexander moved his focus to conquering India. In 326 B.C.E Alexander led a decisive battle against India upon his men entrance to India. During the battle of the Hydaspes River the Alexander’s army emerged victorious. His continuation of Indian conquer mission was turned down by his army fighters who declined continued fighting against Indians. The army thus returned back to Persia. This seemed to an extravagant move by Alexander as he wished to continue leading his men to the fast Asia. This campaign to conquer Asia had lasted for approximately eleven years where he managed to reach into central Asia at the Indus Valley where his men retaliated against him and returned back to Persia. Alexander applied his father’s war tactics in leading his fighting troop for all this time and for once his men failed him at this occasion.
As by his return to Persia Alexander had by the time created the world’s ever seen largest Empire though he had by the time not surrendered conquering neighboring territories. Alexander upon creating a fast Empire having various diverse cultures, he impacted the economies of various groups by building the cities alongside trading routes using the treasuries and wealth that he looted after conquering the Persian Empire (Freeman, 1996 p.118). These cities locations were strategic and thus served to improve the economic system of trade. The system had been in place until the eighteenth century industrial revolution. With this improvements Alexander the great impacted the lives of the Greek people by creating communication networks between the eastern cultures and the western cultures thus opening trade networks for the Greeks’ trade products. As a result there was increase demand for Greek based products. This led to the emergence and recognition of the Greek language and culture facilitating the spread of their ideas. The Hellenistic era arose having communication lines open and it was from this time that the various massive scientific, literarily, artistic, political and philosophical advances associated with Greeks started to emerge and got spread (Shecter, 2006 p.108).
However, at the age of thirty two, Alexander grew weaker from wounds, too much consumption of Alcohol and probably fever. Alexander died at this age as many people claiming to have died out of poisoning. Alexander remains one of the greatest icons of war in history. No historic figures could near the standing degree of greatness that Alexander the great has emulated. Alexander historic wonder is becoming a recognizable and depended upon warrior at the age of sixteen years. At a tender age of eighteen years Alexander was a commander of a whole army of war and later at the age of only twenty Alexander was the King of Macedon. Over a decade, Alexander had changed the phase of various empires and of the whole world though he was a teenager (Cartledge, 2004 p.218). Alexander’s way of life, childhood, marriage, conquests, taking of the throne and death makes him a great King of all times as besides conquering various empires, he had effected a lasting positive effect on the cultures and traditions of various people after leaving behind a legacy that every individual seeks to emulate. It was after his death that the Hellenistic Kingdoms emerged since all the land, the Empire and resources that Alexander the great had conquered was divided amongst his army generals.
Works Cited
Cartledge, Paul. Alexander the Great: The Hunt for a New Past. Woodstock: Overlook Press, 2004. Print.
Curtius, Rufus Q, John Yardley, and J E. Atkinson. Histories of Alexander the Great: Volume 10. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print.
Freeman, Charles. Egypt, Greece, and Rome: Civilizations of the Ancient Mediterranean. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996. Print.
Shecter, Vicky. Alexander the Great Rocks the World. Plain City, OH: Darby Creek Pub, 2006. Print.
